Feb. 3
Our day started in Southaven, Mississippi, where Cyndi banded a rufous
hummingbird at the home of a very gracious man who had previously attended
the Strawberry Plains Hummingbird festival in nearby Holly Springs,
Mississippi. Fearful that we may have made the trip for naught when he
didn't see it yesterday afternoon, he excitedly phoned us at the hotel this
morning with the good news: "The Eagle has Landed";!
When he initially heard that hummingbirds might actually winter in
Mississippi and nearby southern states he thought "No Way" ( I think he
might have actually said "That's Hooey!"). Regardless, he thought he might
as well keep out a feeder this winter and keep it heated whenever
necessary. Lo and behold, the bird flew into the trap less than a minute
after we sat down to wait for it. As it turns out, he has been able to
enjoy this particular rufous hummingbird for nearly 3 months now. Today,
he excitedly experienced the thrill of having it fly out of his
outstretched hand. (Since we left, it has returned to the feeder several
times). As usual, the smiles all around said it all.
We meandered home, birding along the way. One of the stops was the
Duck River Unit. It was great seeing the various pools full of
water.....and waterfowl. The surprise, however, was a brilliantly colored
Common Yellowthroat. Though not all that unusual in this environment, and
certainly not as unusual as the Virginia's and the winter fallout of
warblers in Kingsport, the yellow in the throat, breast and undertail
coverts were stunning. We were able to enjoy it for several minutes as it
foraged through the brushy pond.
Simple pleasures,
Steve and Cyndi Routledge
Clarksville-Montgomery County
